Wednesday, March 18, 2015

New Commissioner Rob Manfred, who visited Indians players Tuesday morning, said the situation has convinced him for the need of a worldwide draft. Manfred talked about that and several other subjects Tuesday.

Manfred believes MLB leveled the playing field regarding the amateur draft in the last negotiations with the players association when a slotting system was introduced for the first 10 rounds of the draft.

“It re-established the principal purpose of the draft, in that the weakest team had ...

Monday, March 16, 2015

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred says he has received a formal request from Pete Rose asking that his lifetime ban be lifted and that he will consider the all-time hits leader’s request “on its merits.”

“I want to make sure I understand all of the details of the Dowd Report and Commissioner [Bart] Giamatti’s decision and the agreement that was ultimately reached,” Manfred said after a meeting with Los Angeles Dodgers players in Arizona on Monday morning. “I ...

In his first days as Major League Baseball commissioner, Rob Manfred has been open to considering making changes to help make the sport more marketable.

Commissioner Rob Manfred said he’d be willing to consider a shorter, 154-game season if there was enough interest for it.
Proving that nothing is off the table, Manfred said Monday that he would entertain shortening the regular season if there was interest in doing so.

Sunday, January 25, 2015

While I agree that banning shifts and the implementation of a clock (instead of simply enforcing rules on batter and pitchers) aren’t needed, this is a little over the top.
(Edited after posting my comment too quickly. Jim)

Which executives, managers and players will drive the MLB narrative in the coming season? Here’s a look at the 15 most interesting people in baseball heading into 2015:

1. Rob Manfred
After an extended run as Bud Selig’s most trusted aide, Manfred takes center stage in late January as baseball’s 10th commissioner. He’ll try to maintain the momentum that has made baseball a $9 billion industry while setting an agenda on pace of play, changes in the draft and free-agent compensation system, and ...